Erica is an advocate for simplicity, family time, making a cozy home and loving others well. She is the community coordinator for One Orphan, the orphan care ministry of America World Adoption Association. Erica and Calvin have four young children; Elliott, Charlotte, Lola and Liam. They currently reside in Nashville, TN.

We have both avid and reluctant readers in our home. Library and bookstore trips are often weekly adventures for us as we seek to fill up the avid readers and at least get the reluctant ones reading their minimum. There is honestly a lot of subpar reading choices for young readers so we are constantly on the look out for enriching reads that are also highly entertaining. Developing a love of reading early on contributes to a love of life-long learning, which is why it’s such a priority in our home.

National Geographic is a highly recognizable brand, but I had no idea that they produced children’s literature and books until this year! Our family recently had the chance to check out their 2019 almanac and their brand newExplorer Academy book series.

The Explorer Academy series starts with the book The Nebula Secret. This series is unique because it combines scientific facts with fictional plots and characters. Some stories are even based on real-life adventures from actual National Geographic explorers! Kids are encouraged, through the example of 12-year-old main character Cruz Coronado, to get curious about their world, problem-solve and find their own big adventures. The vivid illustrations that pop up from time to time are also helpful for engaging the more reluctant readers. Our kids devoured this book during their bedtime reading each night.

The 2019 National Geographic almanac has been a fun family read. We enjoy pulling this out on Friday nights rather than flipping on the TV. Incredible animal stories and the 2019 sky calendar have been the stand out favorites. We are already planning when to head out to view meteors and planets in the night sky. Did you know there is something called a zombie star? It’s a surviving fragment of an exploded star. Who says science can’t be entertaining?!

As a family we are thankful for the entertaining, educational and action-packed books now offered by National Geographic. We even enjoy the occasional read through the Weird but True series. This typically involves a lot of giggles and disbelief from the kids. Reading as a family is definitely more fun with National Geographic!

** A big thank you goes out to Moms Meet and National Geographic for allowing us to read, enjoy and review these titles. All opinions are my own.

Erica is an advocate for simplicity, family time, making a cozy home and loving others well. She is the community coordinator for One Orphan, the orphan care ministry of America World Adoption Association. Erica and Calvin have four young children; Elliott, Charlotte, Lola and Liam. They currently reside in Nashville, TN.

We have a house full of kids, all the bedrooms in the house are spoken for and some are shared. With no bedrooms leftover to allow for a guest room option, we decided to give at least one room flexibility to accommodate our guests when needed. Enter the king-sized MINT mattress from Tuft & Needle. We loved our T&N Pouch chair so we were excited to try out the mattress. After four months of use, we’re finally ready to share our experience.

The MINT is the latest member of the Tuft & Needle family. T&N has literally transformed the mattress industry (there is nothing better than skipping the store and ordering directly to your home!). We even had an unexpected move when we first received the mattress. We were able to keep it in the box which made moving with it so much easier.

With lots more competition in the ship-to-home mattress market, they have upped their game by adding features that make the MINT even more breathable than the original Tuft & Needle product. Added graphite actually redistributes 50% of your body heat. This is excellent because the number one complaint I hear from foam mattress users is the temperature! Now you can access the convenience, price point and comfort Tuft & Needle has to offer without worrying about heat regulation. Our guests have enjoyed many comfortable nights on this bed and we’ve kicked our son out a few times to try it ourselves!

I struggle with neck and back pain and I noticed pretty quickly that the MINT provided remarkable support. The layers are arranged with gradual support, meaning it pushes back when you push. The areas where I need more support and cushion get exactly that!

As I mentioned before, we have several children and fur children on top of that. The MINT is extremely durable! The cover is made of micro polyamide and polyester which dries 6-8 times faster than cotton. It is also piling and tear resistant. Believe me, our crew has put this to the test.

The MINT would be a great addition to any bedroom in the house. We chose to use it for our son’s room/guest room but we regularly think of trading of with him! We are certain it will meet anyone’s sleep and comfort needs. T&N offers a 100 night no-risk trial and a 10-year warranty to help ensure that you choose the right mattress! The price is right, the risk is zero and the reward is a great nights sleep for years to come.

Erica is an advocate for simplicity, family time, making a cozy home and loving others well. She is the community coordinator for One Orphan, the orphan care ministry of America World Adoption Association. Erica and Calvin have four young children; Elliott, Charlotte, Lola and Liam. They currently reside in Nashville, TN.

I began my career, fresh out of college, as a teacher. I didn’t spend a long time in that field but I lingered long enough to realize that birthday cakes were a disaster in the classroom. They crumbled, kids licked only the frosting off the top and the resulting sugar high made the afternoon super pleasant. As a mom, I see the cupcake issue from yet another angle. Food allergies are a real issue for many kids and cupcakes have a lengthly list of ingredients, lots of sugar and often artificial food dyes. Perhaps food treats aren’t the best choice to send off to school and into the hands, and mouths, of children we don’t know well. Today I’m proposing five options for elementary aged kids that aren’t food and won’t break the bank. Each item is linked for you convenience.

What’s not to love? These adorable little guys are squishy (sensory input!) and tradable. They come in at $12-15 for sets of 20 or 30 and your child and their classmates are bound to have an extra fun recess that day squishing, stretching and sharing their new little creatures.

Play Doh is a classic and these mini, party size options give each child just a little bit to enjoy. The party packs also come with little stickers that allow your child to add the names of each friend in class. The price is right at five dollars for 15 mini tubs.

Your child’s teacher will be pleased with this “treat” that doubles as a school supply! For $14 you can snag 50 erasers that span every food group. From pizza, to pie and popsicles there will be a favorite (or 2) in the mix for each child in the class.

My 11 year old chimed in with this option! These little cubes are adorable and will keep hands busy during transition times, recess or the bus ride home. The price point is right at $9 for 18 cubes and it’s just a really fun and cool little treat to share. Great for older elementary.

This little treat serves a dual purpose. It’s fun AND it promotes friendship and unity in the classroom. This $12 fifty pack comes with styles that will work for both genders and has plenty of colors to choose from. Bonus points for not being a distraction! This is another treat that could work well for older elementary.

Erica is an advocate for simplicity, family time, making a cozy home and loving others well. She is the community coordinator for One Orphan, the orphan care ministry of America World Adoption Association. Erica and Calvin have four young children; Elliott, Charlotte, Lola and Liam. They currently reside in Nashville, TN.

A few years back I learned that you are supposed to rotate and change out your probiotic sources periodically to expose your gut to different probiotic strains for optimal results. For this reason I was pretty excited to partner with Moms Meet for a special review of Dr. Ohhira’s Probiotics. It was definitely time to get out of my probiotic rut!

I was immediately intrigued when I discovered that these particular whole-food based probiotics were created with a three year fermentation process. Fermentation maximizes the natural health-promoting properties of each ingredient. Mushrooms, vegetables and spring water are all part of this amazing fermentation process.

What makes this probiotic different? Definitely the fermentation process, but also the blend of pre-biotics, probiotics and post-biotics. You get all three of these necessary strains that promote optimal gut-health in one capsule. This allows your body to grow its own healthy bacteria, something our bodies need to thrive. This formula is also free of gluten, dairy, allergens and GMOs, so it’s a great pick for even the most sensitive systems.

Cold and flu season will be here before we know it and gut health is a huge factor in how well our immune system fights for us. There is no better time to start a great probiotic to support your immune system. I began to notice a difference in my digestive health just days after starting Dr. Ohhira’s supplements. I experienced more regularity, less heartburn and I even lost a few pounds after using them for about three weeks. I chose to do the jump start for intensive rebalancing as suggested on the packaging, and took five capsules in the morning and five capsules at night for the first six days. I feel that this was a key part of my results and a great way to rebalance quickly. I now take just one capsule per day and continue to experience great results.

It’s nice to know that I’m also experiencing greater nutrient absorption as well as the more tangible benefits I shared above. If you are looking for a new, high-quality probiotic I certainly give my gold stamp of approval on this one. But thankfully you don’t have to take my word alone. Dr. Ohhira’s probiotics are the seven-time award winner of the Best of Supplements award as well as the Clean Choice Awards winner of 2015.

Erica is an advocate for simplicity, family time, making a cozy home and loving others well. She is the community coordinator for One Orphan, the orphan care ministry of America World Adoption Association. Erica and Calvin have four young children; Elliott, Charlotte, Lola and Liam. They currently reside in Nashville, TN.

I woke up early this morning, which is typical. I’m a morning person through and through. My best hours are 5-7am accompanied by strong coffee that I constantly forget and reheat. After years of small kids I know no other way to drink coffee. I took out the dog and puttered in the kitchen and then I read, checked email and scrolled facebook for a minute or two, something that is part of work for me and always in my morning routine: a quick scroll, answering messages and posting on the One Orphan page. A sweet little video popped up and I watched for a moment. A darling, blonde toddler was watching the Good Dinosaur and crying a bit over the dinosaur’s accident. He had fallen and was separated. With tears in her eyes she called out to the screen, get up! She said this a few times and then changed her tone, he needs his mama, say mama, she said, say mama she called to the screen.

For a moment I envisioned a world in which all children knew that they could say mama and receive aid. But that’s not our reality. Instead we live in a sin-ravaged world that leaves millions of children without the safety net of family and thousands more within families that cannot care for them properly due to a plethora of situations.

This week, and weeks before, I sent teams to stand in as surrogates. To hold and feed and support for just a minute. They are trained, they know how to enter carefully and minimize their presence… to enter as a supporting role to the overworked and overwhelmed in-coutry staff. To purchase supplies locally, to hire out work locally and to not impress our American ways on another culture. They know all the things.

That’s the hard part. We know now. We’ve known for a long time. Orphan care got really big in Christian circles in the past several years. But it was also highly criticized. There were even published comments by public officials stating that they would rather see children die in their birth country than be adopted.

I think the criticism was good in many ways. It helped us all examine our motives, our language and our practices. But it also slowed us down. Adoption is on the decline, the foster care needs are soaring and international orphanages are full and struggling.

There are so many children who do not know how to say mama. It’s not in their vocabulary. But friends, it was designed to be part of their vocabulary! I am mother to a child who did not know families existed until we showed up at a dim Chinese government office to take her home at the end of her 5th year. We had to teach her to say mama. And now, in her 10th year, I often find myself rolling my eyes because she knows how to do it a bit too well! It wasn’t easy. But they are all worth it.

It might not look like adoption or foster care for every child. The needs are complex and so are the children. But I’m worried that a little criticism has taken the wind out of our sails. That perhaps we arrived and found a mess we couldn’t fix and retreated rather than just sitting in the mess with them.

I don’t think we get to do that friends. And we don’t have to know all the answers. There are children who don’t know how to call for their mama and the amount is staggering, let’s keep going… adopting, supporting those who adopt, expanding our families when they feel big enough, caring for a child for two weeks through Safe Families or Jonah’s Journey, taking foster care classes, mentoring an at-risk teenager, serving in orphanages overseas, raising money for big needs. Let’s do it all with BIG love in Jesus name. Because when saying mama isn’t an option saying Jesus is even more powerful.

Erica is an advocate for simplicity, family time, making a cozy home and loving others well. She is the community coordinator for One Orphan, the orphan care ministry of America World Adoption Association. Erica and Calvin have four young children; Elliott, Charlotte, Lola and Liam. They currently reside in Nashville, TN.

Mom… the neighbor is coming to talk to you. Elliott yelled this in a hurry as he and a neighborhood buddy came bursting in the front door. What did you do? I asked. The conversation that followed included some details about a tomato from his friend’s garden, and how they were tossing it and then some older boys entered the scene and somehow this tomato ended up being tossed at/to one of these kids. So did it ruin his shirt, was he hurt somehow? My questions continued. Both boys answered that no, neither had taken place. I told them not to worry and to just go play, and to keep their tomatoes to themselves.

About twenty minutes later I went out to the driveway to retrieve something and I saw the parent coming full speed toward me. This man had an intentional stride, body-builder arms and probably 150 pounds on me. And yet he came, bowed up, like he needed to make an impression on his 5 foot 3 inch neighbor in yoga pants.

Is that your son? He pointed to Elliott. I believe so, I said. He proceeded to tell me how the boys had been throwing rotten tomatoes at his boys. He wasn’t present for this bloodbath, he was simply retelling a story without either party present. And his boys? They are older than the boys I was currently representing. But what was particularly amusing is that this daddy proceeded to tell me he was trying to pay it forward, one parent to another because it seemed that my son could care less.

Well neighbor. I bet he doesn’t care. Because it’s summer. And boys throw things. And no one was hurt and their clothes aren’t stained. This certainly wasn’t a charge to your neighbor’s house event and I’m concerned about what will happen if we ever do have one of those!

Parents I’m worried that we’ve driven our helicopters a little too close. We are literally clipping the hairs on their heads with the propeller at this point! Bullying is all over the news, and certainly should be dealt with. But what will happen if our children grow up without these little summer break conflicts? If we handle ever scrape and mean word and tomato for them… man, good luck with your first job. Good luck navigating interpersonal relationships in college and the Comcast guy who comes to your door when you buy a house. We are cutting their legs out from under them.

At some point he headed back before I could say much, because really, I didn’t have much to say. I gathered the boys up and explained that while I expected them both to be respectful to the adults in our neighborhood I wasn’t upset with them. I suggested that perhaps they stay clear of the older boys for now, as it didn’t seem like a good fit and they agreed. And then I thought about it again, and shouted to them as they ran off with some random concoction that resembled a bunny trap… play with who you want, but think about what you do and be prepared to deal with the consequences! They exchanged a look that said she is such a weird mom, but yelled okay! and went on their way.

I’ll sleep easy tonight knowing that hopefully, someday, these kids of mine will make choices, reap consequences and handle conflict with grace. Besides, a little tomato never hurt anyone anyway.

Erica is an advocate for simplicity, family time, making a cozy home and loving others well. She is the community coordinator for One Orphan, the orphan care ministry of America World Adoption Association. Erica and Calvin have four young children; Elliott, Charlotte, Lola and Liam. They currently reside in Nashville, TN.

I spent years paying little attention to the products I used on my skin and face. I slathered on foundation without ever turning the bottle over to read what was actually in the bottle. When we began to have children I cleaned up our personal products, cloth diapered and made many of the cleaners and household items we used regularly. I remember a time when Seventh Generation was the only decent brand I could find in a store and even that was a bit questionable! The interesting thing about this big transformation is that it wasn’t until the past two years that I considered my make-up and skin care routine. I don’t wear gobs of make up but I love a good BB cream, mascara and black eyeliner. I also love playing with make up if I’m headed to dinner or somewhere special. It was definitely time to turn that bottle of foundation over to read what was really lurking inside. Fragrance (AKA, the beauty industry’s secret code for whatever they want to put in here, unregulated), Parabens, Triclosan, Formaldehyde, Lead… and a whole lot more. To get the full picture click here and read all about it.

For our purposes I’m going to skip ALL the details of the scary story and instead share the GREAT products I’ve found to avoid this yuck. Because here’s the thing… even if you don’t care that your make-up and face products can carry cancer and neurological risk maybe you’ll care that they are actually aging your skin and making you look older.

I have tried, at length, each of the safe products suggested below and fully recommend them. Please read the notes in order to decide if it’s the right product for your needs. Each product name is linked to their website for shopping ease if you decide you just HAVE to try it.

Foundation/Powders/B.B. Creams/Primers:

This is a really good medium coverage foundation. It moisturizes the skin and does not set on top of the skin or look cakey. I prefer to wear this with a dab of loose powder on top to set the look and make things a bit more matte. If you prefer a dewey look just skip the setting powder. This also contains an anti-aging serum! (tip: shake the bottle well every time you use it)

Rejuva minerals makes several foundation items but these were stand-out winners and the items I employed over the last week to create a daily clean make-up look. This was my first go with concealer powder and I don’t think I could go back to a stick concealer again. This organic, mica and titanium dioxide free powder is really easy to apply and target areas like dark circles without pulling against the skin or causing further damage. The coverage is excellent and buildable according to the look you want to create. As a bonus, their packaging is really quite cute. Use coupon code goodb to receive 15% off your order.

Crunchi is a fairly new MLM company but they have made a big splash with highly educated consultants. Their Flawless Foundation is a great choice if you like a very full-coverage look. It really lives up to its name.

This wonder-cream firms and protects your face and just feels wonderful. This BB cream is not tinted and works well as a pre-make up moisturizer or on those days when you skip the foundation and just throw on some mascara. (Which is me four days out of seven) As a bonus, this cream also provides sun protection!

Lush is super transparent with all of their ingredients and they include pictures of the folks who make the products on their packaging, so obviously I love everything they sell. This vegan primer was a new purchase for me after browsing the store with a friend one day. We both sampled it in the store, looked at each other and immediately declared our love for the product and intent to buy it. It quickly makes the surface of your face velvety and matte. Make up stays on longer and I’ve been wearing this alone on days when I don’t want to wear make up. Bonus! It’s full of Argan oil and doubles as moisturizer.

Mascara:

Mascara is a must for me. I pretty much always have it on. And the blacker the better. The brush included in this mascara is the key. The formula is great, but man, the brush is the best. It’s super skinny and firm and it lengthens lashes beautifully without any clumping. Allure magazine endorses it, so you know it’s good!

Mega Lash has a mega brush included. If you like a fat, fluffy brush that adds a lot of fullness and depth to lashes you’ll adore this one. The formula goes on easily and leaves lashes channeling snuffleupagus from Sesame Street. This is not a water-resistant formula so definitely skip it on pool days. Rejuva also offers a volumizing formula but I have not personally tried it yet, grab some and let me know what you think! Use coupon code goodb to receive 15% off your order.

Blush and Bronzer:

This bronzer and illuminator duo is pretty fool proof. Bronzer is a favorite “make up tool” of mine and I do have some trouble with powder versions. This smooth, gel-like formula is easy to apply and blend in if you make a mistake. The color also works well with almost any skin type. The illuminator looks lovely applied at the top of the cheeks or corners of the eye.

This blush has a universally flattering color and is buildable like many of Rejuva’s products. It’s definitely not a blush you can cake on OR overdo. It’s just a sweet pop of color that warms up the skin and leaves you with a summery look. It gets points for being fool-proof and natural looking. Use coupon code goodb to receive 15% off your order.

Lips:

Lowen’s Lip Balm comes in 17 fun and delicious flavors. Some of our favorites are Funky cold camelina, Iced mini doughnut and Lime in da coconut. Yes, I’m a total sucker for fun product names but the performance and flavor is equally great. These smooth and tasty lip balms are full of fair trade ingredients (even coffee for some flavors!) like shea butter, rosemary oil and beeswax. Each flavor has it’s own list of special ingredients! This product is a hit with the whole family and must at the end of summer days in the sun. Hit up our instagram to win some for yourself.

This satin lip cream is FULL of color. It’s rich, deep and buildable. It’s not long-wearing but my lips feel great when I use it. If you don’t mind reapplying this is a great choice. To be honest, I’m pretty certain that long-wearing lipsticks don’t have great ingredients, including some of the popular ones that make some pretty big claims.

Body Products:

Oh. My. Goodness. This stuff won some awards in our house. First of all, it’s somehow more fun to put paste into a bath than liquid. Second, the blood orange scent is just SO good. Third? We are just really in love with the Lowen’s company and their commitment to really good, nourishing and safe ingredients. Their sweet stories about the products and how they are related to their daughter Lowen really win us over. I have complete and full confidence in every product I use from Lowen’s, not only because I trust their business model but they also have great EWG ratings which takes all the guess work out of the equation. Grab some bubble paste for yourself and give the kids an enjoyable bath you can feel good about.

This magical salve is like a fix-everything wonder balm. Too many words? Maybe… but it is really good. Lowen’s Butter Balm is completely free of petrochemicals, artificial preservatives, colorants or scenting agents. We have used it on everything from bug bites that didn’t want to heal, to cracked cuticles and rough puppy paws. Basically, if something is irritating your skin, slather some of this on and you’ll be on your way to fixing the issue. It comes in a generous sized tub and kind of melts in your hand as you apply it. We are in the thick of summer activities and this seems to be the most requested item after days full of bug bites, scrapes and barefoot running. I’ve heard it’s great as a diaper rash solution as well!

Yes, I know. I’ve written about this one before. But if it’s not in your life yet, go ahead and make sure it is. This scrub gently exfoliates with things like sea kelp and French green clay. It’s like a 2-minute spa day and I promise your face will feel refreshed and detoxified. I keep this on my amazon subscribe and save because I can’t. stop. using. it.

And there you have it! My current favorites, all with the highest standards and practices. I’m really thankful for these companies and the ethical practices they employ. The result is high performing products that don’t have shady or irritating ingredients. All products can be verified on the EWG website if you want to double check me!

Erica is an advocate for simplicity, family time, making a cozy home and loving others well. She is the community coordinator for One Orphan, the orphan care ministry of America World Adoption Association. Erica and Calvin have four young children; Elliott, Charlotte, Lola and Liam. They currently reside in Nashville, TN.

We began switching our personal care products to natural, socially conscious brands several years ago. We quickly discovered that not all natural products are created equal. Especially when it comes to shampoo. I tried dozens of “natural” shampoos that left my hair dry and dull.

For the past few weeks I’ve had the opportunity to try out Desert Essence Shampoos with my family and we’ve truly been impressed. Their Anti-Breakage Shampoo performed well with our varying hair types, thin and straight to thick and curly. After using it consistently my hair seemed calmer (no frizz!) and it had a nice shine that wasn’t present before using the shampoo. I also really enjoyed the conditioner. It’s on the thiner side and absorbs quickly into hair unlike thicker/creamier conditioners. The smell is very mild in both products, it has a mild herbal smell with a bit of tea tree mixed in. I can’t wait to see how my hair continues to improve with continued use!

My son has very dry, tight curls and we added the Desert Essence Anti-Breakage mask to his weekly routine. His hair felt so silky after the first use and we had a much easier time detangling his hair that after his bath. I’m hopeful that with continued use his dryness and manageability will improve even more.

About Desert Essence:

This is my first experience using Desert Essence products but they have been around for quite some time! For 35 years Desert Essence has been sustainably sourcing the purest and highest quality ingredients from all over the world. They do not use artificial colors or fragrances in any of their products. As a company centered around making a difference since 1978, Desert Essence is a certified B-Corp Corporation. This means that Desert Essence meets the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency and legal accountability. If only more companies operated under these standards! Additionally. Desert Essence donates a portion of their sales to help girls in impoverished areas get access to education.

More about Desert Essence Anti-Breakage Shampoo:

Infused with an exclusive blend of Country Life Maxi-Hair® plus Biotin, this breakthrough formula with Keratin and Pro-Vitamin B5 helps reduce breakage up to 61%.

The aloe and moisturizing shea butter in the Anti-Breakage Conditioner help detangle and condition hair.

Desert Essence is currently offering 30% off all Gluten-Free hair products. You can also snag a free lip balm with your order of $30 or more! Use code DELovesMomsMeet to get 20% off the rest of their amazing products! Click here to shop!

I received this product for free from Moms Meet (momsmeet.com) to use and post my honest opinions. Compensation for this post was provided and this page may contain affiliate links.

Erica is an advocate for simplicity, family time, making a cozy home and loving others well. She is the community coordinator for One Orphan, the orphan care ministry of America World Adoption Association. Erica and Calvin have four young children; Elliott, Charlotte, Lola and Liam. They currently reside in Nashville, TN.

Last week I made the dreaded trek to IKEA because, lets face it, no one can beat their prices on kitchen counters and shelving. I highly regretted the choice after we rounded the third hour in the waiting Q for them to bring our items from the back… but alas we ate the meatballs, bought the randoms and made it out with our dignity intact.

Our new home has asked a lot of us during these past few weeks but we have risen to the challenge. This week ushered in new downstairs flooring and a refreshed (in-progress) kitchen. Once the flooring was in we got to work on our new butcher block counter tops. Thankfully my dad joined in and the whole process was much smoother than I originally anticipated. During our trip to IKEA I selected Karlby butcher block counters in birch. I also grabbed Ekby shelving and brackets to create a slightly industrial looking open shelving area in the kitchen. These brackets are really cool and could be used with any type of wood to create the look you want. Without further delay I’ll take you through a basic idea of how our installation went down and how we are feeling about everything as we finish up our kitchen remodel and refresh.

The first step was to demo and pull out the existing laminate countertops. This was easy enough, with only a few challenges in the sink area. Calvin also took this opportunity to change out the water line and drain hose for the dishwasher, thus the face down appliance in the middle of the floor. We also installed some additional bottom cabinetry because the kitchen needed a bit more counter and storage space to accommodate our family of six.

After demo-hour we measured and measured again and came up with the plan for our cuts. Making that first cut was a lot less nerve-wracking because we had so many eyes on the project. (A big thanks goes out to my dad who came to help and lend his tools!)

We saved the corner, where the sink lives, for very last. There were two angles to consider with this piece and we wanted to be sure we were satisfied with the adjacent counter cuts before proceeding. It turned out beautifully! We are currently working on finishing up the plumbing in this area and will be able to share our experience with IKEA sinks and faucets soon! For now it’s sitting there while I figure out all the things.

We used a mixture of sawdust from the cuts, gorilla wood glue and wood filler to seal up the places where the counter pieces meet. After all the counters were in I sealed them all up with a wood conditioner. I’m still contemplating whether I want them to remain natural or if a stain would be preferable. Next week I’ll be adding a coat of Coastal Blue Milk Paint by General Finishes to the lower cabinets and Antique White to the uppers. Until then… it’s a whole lot of wood to look at.

The counters all went in better than I had hoped. It took roughly four hours to do all the cuts and install. They seem to be durable, but only time will tell. I’ll be sure to update here in about six months to give you an update. Stay tuned for paint, backsplash and hardware coming next week. It’s going to be so much fun to share the completed kitchen! The current debate is whether to stay on trend with white subway or to take a departure and do something fun with patterned white tile. What would you do?

Erica is an advocate for simplicity, family time, making a cozy home and loving others well. She is the community coordinator for One Orphan, the orphan care ministry of America World Adoption Association. Erica and Calvin have four young children; Elliott, Charlotte, Lola and Liam. They currently reside in Nashville, TN.

For the last few years, I’ve worked from home. I’ve slowly created a workspace that fits my needs for function and design. My space isn’t quite large enough for a couch so I went on the hunt for the perfect chair. So when Tuft & Needleasked us to review their new Pouch chair, I knew it had potential for the home office! Tuft & Needle has already been known to disrupt the mattress market with dozens of other brands following their lead. Now they’ve introduced what has become my new favorite seat in the house.

A few days after placing our online order, our UPS man delivered the Pouch right to our doorstep! The box required both Calvin and I to get it to the right spot. Be ready, these chairs weigh approximately 70 pounds! As you’ve probably imagined, there is no assembly required. Just open, unwrap, and patiently watch the Pouch expand before jumping on. I love the design of this couch, it is nice enough for any room in the house, not just tucked away in the corner of a bonus room.

It’s a bean bag but it’s the size of a large comfy chair. Just like their mattresses, the Pouch is delivered in a tall box right to your doorstep. This makes the Pouch a whole lot easier to bring upstairs if needed.

Specs

48″ W x 48″ L x 48″ H

Filled with Certipur-US certified T&N Adaptive foam

Soft, quilted cover with locking zipper

Made in the USA (yes!)

100-day trail

3-year warranty

Available in 3 colors

I love to sit on it with my feet propped up on a nearby ottoman or coffee table. Our kids love to get a running start and dive into this “giant fluffy cloud” as they’ve described it. Speaking of kids, the cover is completely removable and machine washable in case a child (or a pet in our case) does the unthinkable. We’ve already moved the Pouch to different rooms in the house but I think the office is where it’ll stay.

Conclusion

I love the sturdiness and quality of the Pouch. Some folks may think the $450 price tag is steep but it is nowhere near the $850 price tag of a similar product by Lovesac. Even with heavy use, I imagine the Pouch to last in our house for at least five years.